26/3/2008

Sport

Evans inspires derby win

by Lee Hacker

IN a match featuring three penalty kicks and one red card, a 17-year-old was on the spot to inspire a hard-earned Camberley victory.

Youth has often been the theme this season and Camberley look to have unearthed yet another young starlet in Gareth Evans.

Making just his third league start of the season, the teenager notched his second goal in a week and was a constant threat to an Ash United side that outnumbered their opponents for more than an hour.

Following a fantastic early strike by Evans, Jamie Hoppitt saw red after conceding a penalty.

Both sides were awarded further spot kicks, before Julian Sills pounced to secure the points for ten-man Camberley and delight manager Paul Barry, who despite the prominent role of the referee, found it hard to disagree with any of Mr Eva’s decisions.

“I thought we started really well,” he said. “We were in control for the first ten minutes and went one up and then stopped. The sending off could’ve cost us but we dug in and in the end I think we deserved the win.

“I don’t know what Jamie was doing. I couldn’t argue with the sending off or the penalties. But we came out and did well in the second half and probably could have had a couple more on the break.”

Following the 1-0 defeat at Epsom & Ewell on Saturday, Barry brought in Peter Millington-Lee, David Hancock and club captain Dan Ker, who was racking up a century of appearances for Camberley.

With Julian Sills completing a youthful midfield, Camberley’s dynamic looking line-up was quick out of the blocks.

After just two minutes dual registered Farnborough striker Paul Harkness found Evans on the left flank, but the 17-year-old’s centre was easily cut out by Chris Andrews in the United goal.

Soon after Ker and Sills both fired wildly over from good positions, before Evans broke the deadlock with a superb piece of skill on eight minutes.

After picking up a cross at the near post, the young winger flicked the ball over his marker with his right foot before volleying home with his left.

After 20 minutes, however, Hoppitt handed Ash an equaliser when he inexplicably raised an arm to punch a Nick Sowden cross.

Despite being a clear penalty, the red card that followed was possibly a little harsh, although Gavin Evans showed no sympathy as he converted the spot kick.

Four minutes later Camberley had a penalty of their own when Harkness was crudely hacked down by Matt Morris.

Despite the poor challenge, Morris bizarrely escaped without even a booking, making a mockery of Hoppitt’s dismissal.

Darren Barnard wasn’t complaining though as he grabbed his twelfth goal of the season from the spot.

With the referee by now taking centre stage, he completed a hat-trick of penalties on 34 minutes, although presumably Mr Eva didn’t take the match ball home.

Admittedly the man in black had got the first two spot kicks correct. The third however was more debateable.

After latching on to a lofted ball on the left, Gavin Evans made his way into the Camberley box.

As Ker slid in, Evans swung and missed with his left foot before falling to the ground. Although the skipper’s challenge was clumsy and ill-advised, the amount of contact was minimal. The official however saw enough contact for yet another penalty, which Evans duly picked himself up to convert his second of the match.

Despite being a man down, Camberley took just four minutes of the second period to regain a decisive lead thanks to some calamitous Ash goalkeeping.

After Barnard chipped an innocuous lofted cross from the left, keeper Andrews seemed to lose his bearings and palmed the ball to Sills, who headed gratefully into the empty net.

Despite enjoying the majority of possession for the remainder of the half, Ash never looked likely to break down a determined Camberley defence that was significantly more secure than the one which conceded five at Chessington & Hook a week earlier.

“We’ve been inconsistent recently but hopefully we can kick on from that,” Barry said.

“We’ve got some great young players at this club. Ideally we wouldn’t throw them in just yet but we’ve had so many injuries and they’ve come in and done really well. 

“Last year we came seventh and this year we’re looking at second or third so it will be a good improvement and next year we will be looking to improve again.”

Camberley: Peckham 6, Millington-Lee 6, Messenger 7, Sills 7, Hoppitt 5, Barnard 6, Hancock 6, Ker  6, While 7, Harkness 6, EVANS 8. Subs: Lance 6, McGarry 5.

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail